Chapter 16: I’ll Wait for You

“Wife?”

This sudden address startled Ye Jin for a second.

When Xia An blurted it out, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with the term. After all, a marriage of convenience still had to go through the motions…

It wasn’t until she saw the indifferent expression on President Ye’s face that Xia An’s eyes flickered, and she then laughed, “I’m just kidding.”

Regardless of whether it was a joke, Ye Jin corrected her meticulously, “Call me by my name from now on.”

“Mm.” Just now, Xia An thought she saw a hint of disgust on Ye Jin’s face again.

Her back was equally meticulous as she turned to leave. Xia An watched casually until the other woman had walked far away.

It seemed like her attitude was only slightly gentler, maybe even tender, when she was with Ye Wan.

Xia An was sure that not many people could sense that side of President Ye.

“Xia An—”

Someone called her name. Xia An turned around and happened to see Ke Rochu standing behind her. “Off work?”

“Mm, was that your friend just now?” Ke Rochu asked.

“Yeah, a friend of mine.”

“She has such a presence.” Ke Rochu tried to strike up conversation with Xia An again, as usual.

“Are you heading back to school, too? Let’s go together~”

Xia An nodded with a smile. She had been a little angry at Ke Rochu for what Tang Zhen had done at Night Colors last time.

But after thinking it over seriously, Ke Rochu had just been concerned about her and acting out of kindness.

Ke Rochu stared at Xia An’s smile and was a little lost in thought again.

She had started to like Xia An during an experiment class in her junior year.

She and Xia An happened to be in the same group.

Although Ke Rochu had heard the name of the goddess-like academic ace in their department before, she had only ever seen her from a distance.

After they came into close contact, Ke Rochu quietly fell in love. Xia An was beautiful and had top grades, a good personality, and she knew how to take care of people.

Honestly, it was hard not to be smitten. Ke Rochu knew that there were tons of people at school who wanted to pursue Xia An, but Xia An had always been single.

Ke Rochu was a coward. She was so much of a coward that even after several years of secret admiration, her relationship with Xia An was still just that of ordinary friends.

It wasn’t until the dorms were reassigned again in their first year of graduate school, and she happened to be assigned to the same room as Xia An, that her heart started pounding like crazy when she saw the notification. She felt like she had finally been given an opportunity.

But after their relationship became a little closer, Ke Rochu realized that she hadn’t understood Xia An at all before.

Xia An was a classic example of someone who was warm on the outside but cold on the inside.

No matter how hard you tried, there was no way to get close to her, let alone enter her life.

It was dark, and the night was hazy. The two walked on the road back to school.

“Uncle is going into the transplant ward tomorrow?”

“Mm.”

After building up the courage for a long time, Ke Rochu asked Xia An in a weak voice, “The hospital and school are already so overwhelming. Are you still going to work part-time? I don’t think you’ve gotten enough rest these past few days…”

Xia An still answered with an indifferent smile, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

“If you’re going to be back late, still tell me so I can be at ease.”

“Okay.”

They walked a little further.
Ke Rochu spoke again, “I’ll treat you to dinner this weekend night, okay?”

“Why are you suddenly treating me to dinner?”

“I…” Ke Rochu was despondent.

As expected, Xia An hadn’t thought about her birthday at all. She had mentioned it to Xia An last month, but Xia An seemed to have forgotten, “We haven’t had dinner together in a long time.”

“I don’t have time this weekend night.” Xia An remembered that she had just promised Ye Jin that she would go to the Ye residence on Sunday night.

Another bucket of cold water was dumped on Ke Rochu’s head. She lowered her head, bit her lip, and smiled awkwardly.

She was still a little unwilling to give up and held onto a little bit of hope that Xia An would remember, “You don’t have any classes that night, right? Could you… could you take some time to come out, even if it’s just for an hour?”

“Rochu, I really don’t have time.” Xia An still refused. Furthermore, now that Xia Hexian was entering the transplant ward, she wasn’t in the mood to go out for dinner.

“But that day…” That was my birthday, Ke Rochu still swallowed the words back down and said with a smile, “If you don’t have time, then we’ll do it another day.”

Ke Rochu wanted to know if Xia An said she didn’t have time because she had to work part-time at Night Colors.

But she didn’t dare to ask.

She was afraid that if she asked about Night Colors again, Xia An would be cold to her for several days, so she simply said nothing.

Sunday night.

As expected, Ke Rochu didn’t see Xia An. She sat alone in the darkened dorm room for a long time. She felt a surge of sadness and had an urge to cry.

Actually, she and Xia An probably weren’t even ordinary friends.

After sitting there until nine o’clock, Ke Rochu picked out a dress from the closet and changed into it. She went to Night Colors for the second time…

Sunday night at 7:00 PM, Xia An went to the Ye residence with Ye Jin as promised.

As soon as they got into the car, Ye Jin noticed Xia An’s attire: a knee-length floral dress in a cream color, plus light makeup that was practically bare-faced.

Her long black hair, which had never been permed or dyed, was draped over her shoulders and in great condition. It had to be said that youth was her greatest asset.

She looked great with a casual touch.

Simple, generous, beautiful, and natural—just what parents liked to see.

Ye Jin was still looking at Xia An. In today’s outfit, Miss Xia looked like she was in her twenties… Thinking of this, Ye Jin couldn’t help but frown. She was thirty-two this year.

“Is my outfit inappropriate?” Xia An saw an expression that seemed to be one of dissatisfaction on the other’s face. “Do I not look good?”
“Suit yourself.”

There it was again, that sentence.

“If you have an opinion, just say it directly.” Xia An, seeing that Ye Jin obviously wanted to say something but wasn’t, muttered, “I don’t even know what kind you like…”

“It’s not necessary for me to like it.” After saying that, Ye Jin paused, then slowly added, “Next time, you can dress a little more maturely.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” Xia An understood what she meant.

Come to think of it, there was almost a ten-year age gap between her and Ye Jin.

If she didn’t dress a little more maturely, the two of them would seem even more mismatched.

Ye Jin didn’t want to continue this sensitive topic.

“This is for Great-grandmother, this is for my aunt, and the last one is for Wanwan.” Ye Jin pointed to the gifts that she had prepared and told Xia An about them.

“Mm.” Xia An silently kept them in mind. She had never heard Ye Jin mention her parents, so she didn’t ask about them. Xia An knew that everyone had their unspeakable matters, just like how she also never mentioned her mother to outsiders.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong—

After the doorbell rang three times, Aunt Zhou went forward and opened the door, her face beaming.

“President Ye, Miss Xia, you’re back~”

“Mama—” Ye Wan shouted as she ran toward the entrance.
“Wanwan, slow down~” Liang Laotai was behind her and couldn’t keep up at all.

As soon as she saw Ye Wan, Xia An squatted down with a smile. Sure enough, when the little one saw that, she immediately dove into her arms. Xia An picked Ye Wan up in her arms.

“Wanwan, it’s been a long time. Have you been good lately?”

“Wanwan has been very good—” Although she usually called her Mama Xia every other sentence, Ye Wan was reserved now that she saw her.

She stared at Xia An for a long time before shyly calling out to Xia An, “Mama~~~”

Mama…

Xia An looked at Ye Jin, who was standing next to her, and seemed to understand President Ye’s feelings from that day when she had suddenly called her “wife”.

Ye Wan looped her arms around Xia An’s neck, kissed her on the cheek, and then asked in a childish voice, “Mama said that I can call Auntie Xia ‘Mama’ from now on, right?”

Xia An hesitated for a moment. She probably needed a second or two to accept that she had suddenly gained a four-year-old daughter.

She kissed Ye Wan on the forehead as well, “Yes, you can call me ‘Mama’. Mama brought you a gift”

“Oh my, this child is already calling her ‘Mama’.” Liang Laotai, who was behind her, smiled so hard that her eyes were narrowed into slits.

Even though she said that, just now, she had been telling Ye Wan that when she saw Auntie Xia, she had to remember to call her ‘Mama’, “Come, come, Xiao Xia, sit down and rest for a while first~”

“Jingjing, when did you get a girlfriend?” At this moment, a woman with short hair walked over with a smile. Then, her gaze landed on Xia An, “And you didn’t even tell me.”

“This is my aunt.” Ye Jin said to Xia An in a low voice.

“Hello, Auntie—”

“This is Xia An, my girlfriend.” Ye Jin said generously. Although she had brought Xia An back once before, this could be considered the official introduction.

Ye Wan even added, very seriously, from the side: “My Mama Xia.”

The little rascal made everyone in the room laugh.

Liang Laotai said with delight and a tone of complaint, “I said it was a girlfriend the last time, but you guys wouldn’t admit it. Did you think you could fool this old lady’s eyes? I said that the girl was so nice to me at the hospital. Turns out she was Jingjing’s girlfriend!”

“We just wanted to tell you when the time was right.” Xia An said some nonsense off the cuff, and then, following the usual procedure, gave the gifts that President Ye had prepared in advance one by one, “Grandma, this is a gift for you, and Auntie as well…”

“Go wash your hands and eat. The food is all ready.” Liang Laotai said quickly.

There were five people and more than a dozen dishes. Knowing that Xia An was coming to eat, the old lady had specially told Aunt Zhou to make all of her best dishes.

“Xiao Xia, how old are you this year?” Ye Zhen asked as she picked up some food. Her interest was entirely focused on the little beauty that Ye Jin had brought home today. Judging from her age, she was at most in her early twenties.

“Auntie, I’m twenty-four this year.” Xia An purposely reported a false age.

“Then you’re eight years younger than Ye Jin.”

“Mm, about that…” Xia An said with a smile. She felt like this aunt had seen through something, and it wouldn’t be easy to deal with her.

“Age isn’t an issue~” Seeing that the atmosphere of the conversation wasn’t right, Liang Laotai immediately laughed and smoothed things over.

She looked at Xia An with a beaming smile and said, “Our Jingjing is a little old, but she’s good at maintaining herself. The two of you look especially well-matched together.”

When Xia An heard the old lady’s words, she almost laughed out loud. She secretly glanced at Ye Jin, wanting to see Ye Zong’s reaction upon hearing those words. Sure enough, Ye Zong was very poised.

Ye Jin ate a small mouthful of rice, slowly chewing. As long as the old lady was happy, that was all that mattered.

“Xiao Xia, you can put your heart at ease. Jingjing will definitely make concessions for you and dote on you in the future. If she dares to bully you, you can tell Grandma, and Grandma will give her a good scolding.” Liang Laotai said with more and more enthusiasm.

Ye Wan balled up her small fists, “If Mama bullies Mama Xia, Wanwan won’t allow it either!”
The old lady said, “Wanwan is so sensible.”

Ye Jin raised her head and looked at the old and the young person on the other side of the table. They were singing harmony with each other, which made her say helplessly, “Why would I bully her for no reason?”

“It’s pretty good if…good to me.” It was the first time she had called her name, and Xia An almost said “Ye Zong” again.

“‘Pretty good’ isn’t enough.” Liang Laotai once again spoke earnestly, “Ye Jin, it’s not that Grandma is criticizing you, but you have to learn how to dote on your wife. Don’t just work overtime every day. Spend more time with Xiao Xia when you have time. She’s such a good girl; you have to cherish her.”

Even though they were just acting, the old lady was so enthusiastic that Xia An felt a little embarrassed.

Ye Jin put some food in the old lady’s bowl. “I know. I’ll spend more time with her. Grandma, we plan to get our marriage certificate first next week, and then hold the wedding later.”

“That’s a great idea. I’ll pick out a good day for you.” Liang Laotai was even more excited.

How could she not be excited? She had originally thought that her old bones wouldn’t be able to wait for her granddaughter to get married.

Who would have thought that Ye Jin would find someone on her own, and the person she had found was a girl who she herself was so satisfied with.

Ye Zhen, who had been quiet the entire time, looked at Ye Jin in disbelief, “You’re getting married?”

“Mm, we’ve decided.”

Ye Zhen was suspicious.

After dinner, Xia An stayed in the living room and chatted with the old lady. Ye Wan also pestered her to play.

Before they knew it, it was almost ten o’clock.

“Mama, I want to sleep while hugging you tonight.”

“An An, don’t go back to school tonight. Just sleep here at home.”

When Xia An saw this, she knew that this old and young person weren’t going to let her leave tonight…

Upstairs, in the study,

Ye Zhen sat on the sofa and chatted with Ye Jin.

“Grandma’s been in a good state lately. There are also a lot of old ladies around here. They usually go out for a walk together and chat with each other, so she’s not bored.”

“She is more energetic than the last time I saw her. It’s just that her memory is getting worse and worse.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.” Ye Jin said.

“Now that I’ve finished my work and returned to China, the pressure on you isn’t as great. You must have had a hard time during this period, and work must have been very busy.” Ye Zhen was a designer. She had been on a business trip overseas last month, so she basically couldn’t take care of things in China.

“I can handle it.”
Remembering something, Ye Zhen continued, “Do you still have dates with Weimin?”

Ye Jin was surprised that Ye Zhen would ask this, “Auntie, I have a girlfriend.”

“You can fool the old lady and the little rascal, but did you think you could fool me?” Ye Zhen looked at Ye Jin with a smile, “Where did you find the little girl you’re using to act? She’s quite pretty.”

Ye Zhen didn’t call Ye Jin out on it downstairs, because she didn’t want the old lady to be disappointed on the spot.

“She really is my girlfriend.”

It had been silent for half a month, then suddenly, one had popped out. Ye Zhen continued to ask,

“When did you two meet? Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend half a month ago?”

“My situation with her is complicated, and it’s hard to explain. I’ve already decided to marry her.”

“Is it hard to explain, or is there no way to explain it?” Ye Zhen still didn’t believe her. “Jingjing, actually, you could give Weimin a chance. She really likes you.”

Ye Jin knew that Shen Weimin was the daughter of Ye Zhen’s close friend, so Ye Zhen was trying so single-mindedly to match them together. Ye Jin didn’t say anything, and took out her phone to send a WeChat message.

At the same time, downstairs, Xia An took out her phone.

[Ye Jin: Come to the study on the second floor. It’s the last room on the left side of the stairs]

Xia An replied, “What is it?”.

But she didn’t get a response.

Feeling confused, Xia An went upstairs to the second floor. After she pushed open the study door, she realized that Ye Jin wasn’t the only one in there. Ye Zhen was also there, and she was a little embarrassed.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Jin asked first when she saw Xia An pushing the door open and walking in.

Xia An glanced at Ye Jin and muttered. You were the one who told me to come up here, so why are you asking me what’s wrong?

“Oh, Auntie is here too—” Xia An first said a few inconsequential words with a smile. Xia knew that the reason Ye Jin had told her to come up here was probably only to act.

“Baby—”

The way that Ye Jin said “baby” stunned both Xia An and Ye Zhen at the same time.

There were only three people in the study, so there was no way that “baby” was being used to call Ye Zhen.

Xia An, looking calm, glanced at Ye Jin and responded while maintaining the smile on her face, “Yeah?”

“Go take a shower first. I need to talk with Auntie about something. It’ll be quick.”

“It’s okay. You and Auntie can talk slowly…” Xia An said in cooperation with Ye Jin. Before leaving, she softly said, “I’ll wait for you.”